Reality
by Verite
Summary: Sydney can't remember... Complete!
1. On the run

**Disclaimer: Alias, Syd, Sark, Irina are all the brilliance of J.J. Abrams. The rest is alllll mine grins**

**A/N: This is my first so please R&R so I know if I'm doing a good job! Thanks!**

Sydney ran, she just flat out ran as hard as she could. And she kept running. _Don't slow down. Don't look back._ She couldn't help it. She looked back and banged shoulders with a woman walking up the sidewalk.

"Sorry" the word flew out. But she kept running. Her lungs burned as she panted for air. She ran even faster until she reached a crosswalk She took in the lit up orange hand and the cars driving by and skidded to a halt, bumping into the people waiting. She couldn't wait. She had to cross. Now.

_Wait. Wait._ She judged the distance. Sydney ran out into the first lane after a car passed by. She stopped in the middle of the street and waited as another car drove by. Then she ran to the other side.

She ran as hard as she could through the crowds of people walking up and down. She looked back and breathed a sigh of relief. Sydney then slowed to a fast walk. She straightened her shirt and even smiled at a person passing by.

_Don't look back. Don't. He's gone. _But still she looked back. Her eyes widened. Turning, she pushed past a couple holding hands. She couldn't focus and tripped on the cracked pavement. She winced as she felt the skin on her knee ripping away. Sydney saw blood on the sidewalk. Angrily she pushed off the ground and ran, ignoring the rip in her jeans.

It felt like she had never run this fast in her entire life but she still kept running. Then she ducked through an alley and looked for a place to hide. There was a big black dumpster. She ran around to the other side and covered her mouth to slow her breath.

Only then did she look across to meet the eyes of a homeless man. Sydney slid down the brick wall to the asphalt below. She took a slow soft breath. The homeless man's eyes shifted to the road. Fear tingled up her spine. She swiftly rose and clung to the back of the dumpster. His shadow was there, between her and the bum.

Sydney panicked. _What to do? What to do!_ She looked to the end of the alley. For a moment she watched the people walking back and forth. She looked back to the homeless man just in time to see his eyes shift to her again.

She bolted to the end of the alley and ran towards the end of the sidewalk. She was relieved to see the walksignal. She broke through a group of teenagers and continued to run down the street. But then she slammed into a bicyclist crossing the street. Sydney picked herself up and hesitated. But she helped the man with his bike and looked back up to the street corner. Thesignal had changed to orange. She met his eyes with a terror that froze her. She tore her eyes away back to the bicyclist. She hurriedly apologized profusely and then backed away and continued to run. _Keep running. Keep running. Keep breathing._ She waited at the light and looked back. Panic struck her again.

Sydney carefully watched the cars coming. _Wait. Almost. After this one. _She bolted hard and made it through without stopping. Finally she reached the fountains and hid in the crowd of parents watching their kids playing in the water. But she still felt too exposed. So she backed away down onto the docks and ran along the river. She threw a smile out to an elderly couple passing by.

She saw the boat and breathed another sigh of relief. But as she approached it she saw two men step off of the boat. Sydney backed away. She turned to run and bumped into him. She opened her mouth only to haveher jawsmashed by his fist. She fell to the boards below. Blackness swallowed her up.


	2. Some time to remember

**Disclaimer: Alias is Abrams...darn.**

Sydney opened her eyes to blackness. She heard a car rumbling. _Oh my god_. She began to struggle but gave up. _This won't do anything_. She resigned to lying still. The car stopped and fear rose in her throat.

The trunk opened and she blinked at the sunlight. He stood over the open trunk. He began to pull her out. Sydney twisted to break free from his hold. His hand slapped her. Her hand shot to her cheek. One angry tear fell.

The car doors opened and the two men got out. She would have run but his arm held her pinned against him. The men walked towards an unmarked building and opened a side door. He slowly released his tight grip on her arm and turned her to face him.

"Shall I escort you or will you be a big girl and go in yourself?" She hesitated. His smug features hardened. "You will be the one who determines how hard this is going to be."

Sydney wrenched her arm away and stalked to the open door. She paused there and saw a room with a table and two chairs. Her spirit sank farther. She was conscious of his presence behind her. He pushed her forward into the cold room and she allowed him to take her by the elbow to one of the chairs. He pulled it out for her with a smile. _Bastard_.

She sat down roughly as he pushed it in towards the wooden table. She felt a handcuff lock one hand to the chair and the fear returned.

He sat across from her. "I assume you know why I've brought you here?"

She looked away. He leaned back in his chair with arms crossed. There was a long silence. Sydney looked back to see his face. That all too familiar face. He stood up and she squeezed her eyes shut. He walked around the table to her chair. _Don't look at him_.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "I'll give you some time to remember."

Sydney shuddered but looked straight ahead. He waited by her side. She kept looking straight ahead. He straightened up and walked away. The last thing she heard before the blackness was the door shutting.


	3. He betrayed me

**Thanks everyone for the reviews! And don't worry Tootsie210, our mystery man will be revealed soon ;-) Can you guess?**

The light turned on and she blinked. He entered the room and walked over to where she was seated. He unlocked the handcuff. Sydney rubbed her wrist. He smiled at her but she looked away. He frowned and grabbed her face. "In the name of God, why can't you remember?" he yelled.

She stared into his cold blue eyes. He let go and spoke softly. "Please." She could feel tears falling down. She couldn't look at him. His hand brushed the tears away. "Let me go." She demanded, gritting her teeth.

"No." He refused.

His fingers touched her face. Sydney raised her head to look at him. _He looks almost sad. _He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again."Is that the way you want it to be? Very well then," he snapped, "Go."

_He's lying_. She slowly shook her head. He got up and returned to his own chair. There was silence. She looked back down. He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. The silence between them continued. Then he laughed.

Sydney snapped her head up. He was grinning at her. Her brows furrowed into a frown. He offered the door with a slight motion of his hand. Her eyes narrowed. _This is a trap. _But she stood up and he still sat. She walked to the door and opened it. She looked back at him. He was staring off into space. She walked outside and shivered. The car was gone. Rain started to fall.

She covered her eyes with one hand and looked around. She walked to one end of the building. The car was there. She ran to the other end. Ordinary, unfamiliar cars were parked there. Sydney smoothed the tangles in her brown hair. She walked confidently past the row of cars until she reached the sidewalk. Then she broke out in a run. She looked back. No one. _Don't stop running. _She looked around and saw another sidewalk.

Her first impulse was to just run away from the building and look for anyone. _And tell them what?_ She did run. She ran until she saw people. People walking. Sydney slowed to a jog and smiled. They stared at her. She looked down at her dirty shirt and torn jeans. _Great. _But she kept jogging.

There were more people. Sydney slowed to a walk and quickly got lost in the crowd. She started to recognize buildings and breathed a sigh of relief. _He wouldn't give up that easily_. She felt panic start to choke her. She began to walk faster then broke out into a run that escalated into a sprint.

She pushed past people yelling "Excuse me!" After a while she didn't bother. She just kept running. Tears began to fall down her cheeks._ No! Stop! _She wanted tostop, to hide, anything but to do this. _He betrayed you. _Sydney kept running until she reached a crosswalk. She darted a look back and waited for the signal. It turned to walk and she jogged across. She was running out of air, she needed water. She couldn't remember the last time she ate.

Sydney ducked into a nearby building. People inside the lobby stared at her. She didn't notice them. She walked straight to the drinking fountain between the elevators and took a long, deep drink. She wiped her mouth on her street marred sleeve and turned around. The receptionist offered assistance. She hesitated, things were in a blur. She shook her head, partly to clear it, partly to deny the help. For a moment she watched people passing by through the glass doors.

She opened the right door and began pushing through the crowd moving against her. It was getting more difficult with each step. Finally Sydney turned around. A carnival. Relief flooded her. She joined the throng moving downhill. And at the bottom she wound around groups of people before reaching the fountains. Then she waited.


	4. Waking Up

**Ready for the roller coaster to go upside down? grins**

Sydney woke up in a bedroom. She jumped off the bed and whirled around the room. There were some shades tied down. Suddenly she heard footsteps. _What should I do? _She scrambled back into the bed and closed her eyes. She heard the door unlock and open. He walked toward the bed.

His voice was soft. "Are you awake?" She didn't respond, only bit her lower lip.

Then she heard another voice calling him. He walked back to the door and closed it. Sydney peeked out over the covers and listened. Nothing. Cautiously she got out of the bed and walked to the door. It was unlocked. She opened it quietly. There was a hallway with a railing on one side. She looked over the railing and seeing no one below, walked to the end of the hallway and down the stairs.

But all of a sudden, there he was, standing before her. Sydney turned to run but he caught her arm. She lashed out at him with her fist. He returned the punch with one of his own. She sagged on his arm for a moment then sank to the floor. She started to cry.

"Why? Why am I here? How did I get here? She asked.

He was quiet. Then he spoke "You've always been here"

Sydney shook her head. _No. No that's a lie. _He lifted her up. His fingers touched her face. She tried to remember. The building. _No. Please no. _She looked into his blue eyes. _Why does he look so sad? _She had to remember. She had to go back to the beginning.


	5. Back to the beginning

**Sorry I wandered away for a bit but here he is!**

**Alias isn't mine, don't sue please.**

Sydney wandered throughout the garden, smelling the roses and taking it all in. She saw him there. He looked so out of place with that designer suit. She decided to ignore him. Finding a soft pink one she buried her nose deep in it.

When she looked up, she saw a man in a black suit. A chill ran up her spine. She pretended not to see the man. Instead she walked under the archway and sat by the fountain. She opened up the book she brought and tried to read.

A shadow passed over her book. She kept reading unfazed. The man in the designer suit sat opposite her on the other side of the bench that ran around the fountain. Sydney was still trying to read when he spoke to her. His voice was smooth with a lilting British accent. She smiled politely as he introduced himself. Sark. _His name is familiar. _

Sydney hesitated, wracking her brain as she thought of a name to tell him. She was still smiling while she stalled. A shadow crossed over her book as she closed it. She turned around and saw the other man standing right behind her.

She nervously smiled at him. The man didn't smile back. She turned back to look at the man named Sark. He was smiling at her. _I've got to leave_._ Say goodbye. Get out of here_. "Well...nice to meet you." She got up and left the fountain.

Sydney tried to appear calm as she walked back up to the parking lot. She spotted another man in a black suit sitting in a car. The car was next to hers. She panicked but nevertheless walked to her car. The man watched her as she opened her car door and got in. She started the engine and backed out. The man watched her in his rear view mirror.

She briefly relaxed as she drove away. _That was weird_. She turned on the radio and relaxed more. Singing along to one of her favorite songs, she continued on down the road. She glanced a look in her rear view mirror. Sark was in the passenger seat of that same car. The car that was following her from up on the hill. _They're not following me. Stop overreacting._ She turned up the volume and looked at the clock. In twenty minutes. Her heart raced but she continued driving until she reached a stop sign. She stopped and again looked in her rear view mirror. There was a different car behind her. She smiled. _See?_

She was driving down the same road when out of nowhere she suddenly panicked and whipped around the next corner. She drove past rows of houses and looked in the rear view mirror. She fearfully met his eyes _What is this? _Sydney accelerated and thought rapidly. _Where? Where? Where to go? _

She stopped at a light and turned another corner and merged into traffic as fast as the car passing by would let her. She let out a slow breath and waited for the right road sign. There. Sydney changed lanes and exited the road. Again she looked in the rear view mirror. No one. _Breathe Syd_. She looked at the clock. Ten minutes. _Crap_. _Think, think_. She kept driving. _What to do with the car? _

She wound around corners, driving uphill then downhill, again and again. She had to find somewhere. She was running out of time. Seeing a parking garage, she pulled into it. _Finally_. She drove to the second floor and parked. Sydney stepped out of her car. He stepped out of the car across. Sark. _Why is that name so familiar?_ She pretended to ignore him and moved towards the elevator. He was faster and blocked it. Fearfully she met his blue eyes. Then she saw the stairs.

And ran.


	6. Seven hours too late

**Sorry I got behind! So for special, here's two chapters, and for all who are confused, hang in there, it'll make sense. :-)**

"I remember..." Sydney said shakily. She looked at his eyes. His sad eyes. "But why? Why here?"

He didn't answer. A woman entered the room. She was angry, and not even looking at Sydney, started yelling at him.

"What are you doing? Do you think bringing her here will solve anything?

But then she advanced towards her. Sydney backed away and he grabbed her by the arms, pulling her to him. She struggled to release herself. The woman stopped, clearly amused.

"If you think this will work, you certainly have your work cut out for you." Smiling, she turned and left.

Sark relaxed his grip on her arms but he didn't let go. Sydney was confused. "Sark"

He let her go. She turned to face him. His eyes lit up. "Will you let me go?" His eyes returned to stony blue.

"You still don't understand!" He yelled as he grabbed her arm again. Sark dragged her back to the room despite her struggles, and shoved her forward. But he didn't close the door. He didn't lock her in.

Sydney all of a sudden wished he did. She wished she was alone, wished he wasn't there, standing before her. His eyes had softened.

"Sydney..." He pleaded and walked towards her.

She knew she didn't trust him. Still keeping her eyes on him, she stepped back until she bumped into the bed behind her and fell on it. She held up her hand. "Don't..." She trailed off. She couldn't think of words. He stopped, then he turned, slamming the door behind him.

Sydney heard the lock click and let out a breath. _What was he going to do? What would he have done?_ She curled up on the bed, crying helplessly, before she fell asleep. She awoke hours later and again looked around the room.

She noticed a desk below the window. The book from her car was sitting on it, next to her car keys. There was also a clock with red numbers displaying ten thirty.Sydney buried her face in her hands. Seven hours too late.


	7. Friend or enemy?

**Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.**

Sydney woke up with alarm. Then she remembered. She covered eyes and tried not to cry but that made it worse. She began to sob. She looked at the ceiling and screamed. But she had to think. She looked at the tied down shades then at the car keys. She got out of bed and grabbed them. Picking the key that looked the most jagged, she sawed at the ties until they broke.

She pulled the shades open and gasped. There was a familiar swing set. Sydney rubbed her temples, she just couldn't remember. She walked to the door and tried to open it but it was locked. She heard footsteps and backed away. She briefly looked at the door before deciding to sit at the desk. The door opened and Sark stood there.

He didn't speak, he just stood there. Sydney followed his gaze. He was looking out the window. She stood uneasily. _Is he angry? _He walked to stand beside her. She looked out the window to see a lawn with a few chairs on a deck. She looked again at the swing set, then back at him. He nodded. She was confused again and sat back down. He knelt beside her and covered her hands with his. He looked into her eyes. _Why is he so familiar?_ His fingers gently touched her face and she reached her hand up to touch his fingers. He looked towards the door. Then Sark grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. Sydney tried to pull away.

"Unless you enjoy being confined to this room, come with me." He hissed.

Sydney hesitated. She in no way trusted him, but she didn't want to lose the opportunity to escape. "Ok." She agreed.

She followed him down the hallway. They heard voices down below. He motioned with his hand to stop and partially leaned over the railing. Then the voices faded away. They cautiously crept down the stairs. The woman from before was gone. He led her into another room and closed the door behind him. The moment he turned to close the door, Sydney instantly looked for a way out. There were long windows with a door between them. She bolted for the door. He tried to stop her but she opened the door before he could reach her. Sydney ran onto the deck and down the stairs to the lawn.

Sark yelled. "Sydney! Stop!"

She paused. _That swing set, where... _But he was on the deck. She looked for a gate and ran to open it. Across the street were a few houses, some with cars in the driveways. Definitely a neighborhood. _But which way to go? Down. _Sydney raced down the street. Sark had reached the gate.

"Sydney!" He yelled again.

But she kept running and running. She turned a corner, jumping a puddle on the sidewalk. Then she turned another corner. She ran down and kept running down until she reached the end of the hill. Sydney bent over, putting her hands on her knees and gasped for air. She then noticed her clothes. She was wearing a different shirt. And her jeans had no rip in the knee. People were walking back and forth, and with what she felt like normal clothes, she blended into the crowd. Slowly she ran her hands through her hair and held her head up high, even smiled occasionally. Stopping at the street corner she looked at the sign. She didn't recognize it. _Crap_. She sat at a nearby bench, looking for a friendly face. A woman walked by. Sydney stopped her for directions. The woman pointed in the direction she was heading. Quickly thanking the woman, she took off.

She ran past a bank displaying the time. One forty seven. She continued to run til she had to stop at a signal and waited for the light to change. Suddenly Sydney looked back. Sark wasn't there. There weren't any men in black suits. She breathed a sigh of relief and crossed the street. She passed by an elderly couple as she ran. She had to keep running, she had to. _Keep breathing_. _Run harder. Only one hour and forty minutes left._


	8. Abandonment

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! They encourage me so much! And don't worry, qblisa, all will make sense in the end, it's just a little like a roller coaster for now.**

Sydney opened her eyes. Blackness. She felt a car rumbling. _No. Oh my god no._ Bump. Bump. Bump. _A bridge. Which bridge? _Bump. Bump._ Screw lying still._ She bounced up and down and shook from side to side. Thrashed around. Screamed. The car stopped and the trunk opened.

Sydney blinked against the sunlight. One of the men in the black suits looked down at her. She looked beyond him and above at the sky. There were flags flying. _The Freemont bridge_. She felt a little relief knowing where she was. Or at least where she was headed.

But then the man reached down to tie her up. Sydney kicked his arm but he pinned her legs together and tied them. She opened her mouth. The man raised his fist. She snapped it back shut mid scream. The man then jerked her up by one arm and tied it to her ankles. Then he pushed her back down and closed the trunk. Bump. Bump. Bump.

She closed her eyes in despair and drifted off. When she woke up she felt the car slow down just before it turned a corner. There was no sound of traffic. Big bump. Big bump. _Train tracks? _Soon the car stopped and the trunk opened. Sydney blinked through the light to see Sark standing above her. She stared at him as he bent down to untie the knots. He offered his hand. She looked at it then back at him, back at his eyes. _Why are they so sad?_

When she hesitated he smiled as if to reassure her but that only confused her. He sighed and took her by the hand to pull her out of the trunk. The two men were standing by a door. One of the men opened it. Sark took her hand as he led her through the door. A cold room with a table and two chairs. _Not again_. Sydney tried to leave but he grabbed her and walked her to one of the chairs. He sat her down and she stared at her knees. He silently stood there beside her, then turned around and walked towards the door.

Being alone on that room made her more afraid than being there with him. "Sark." She called. He turned. Those eyes were still sad. _Words. Words. _"Why-" she fumbled. "Why are you leaving me?"

His words echoed in her head. "Because you left me."


	9. The other woman

**Hey everyone! Here's Chapter 9...and...the other woman! Enjoy**

Sydney woke up, stretching and yawning. She stood up and looked out the window. She looked back to the bed. He was still sleeping. A smile crept onto her face. She took some clothes out of the dresser and changed. Then she walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and took out a container of orange juice. When she turned to the counter, a woman was there, staring at her.

Sydney quietly panicked. _Who is she? Why is she here?_ Then she remembered._ Oh my god...it's Mom._ Calmly she set the juice on the counter. "Mom-" She started.

"Sydney you shouldn't be here. Not now." Irina said firmly.

"Me?" Sydney yelled. "What are _you_ doing here?"

There were footsteps. Sark ran into the kitchen but didn't look at her. "Go." Was all he said to her mother.

He nodded toward the door then followed Irina out of the kitchen. She could hear them arguing. Leaning down on the counter, she rubbed her temples. She glanced a look at the microwave clock. Eleven thirty was displayed in small, green numbers. Four hours. The the arguing stopped and Sark came back into the kitchen.

She smiled at him but he didn't smile back. Instead, he led her to the window. She saw the lawn. She saw the swing set. _The swing set. _She had to get out. She knew she had to get out of the house. Sydney threw his hands off of her.

"Sydney," Sark tried to calm her down. But she turned and ran to the door. "Syd wait!"

She was running out the door by then but skidded to a halt and grabbed her purse off the small table just inside. Fumbling to get the keys out, she opened the garage and unlocked the car. She started it up and backed out of the driveway. She accelerated hard. A man waved at her but she drove right past him. She drove past all the houses with their flowers and lawn decorations. She drove away from him.

Sydney looked in her rear view mirror to see tears slowly falling down. She angrily wiped them away and kept driving. The long hill stretched out before her. She clenched her teeth and resisted the urge to coast all the way down. To end it all. Tears blurred her vision.

"Stop it! Stop crying!" She yelled, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. A car blared its horn. Sydney gasped and slammed on her brakes. Her car screeched to a halt and her head sank to the steering wheel as she let out a short, sharp breath. Another horn blared from behind. Her head snapped up and she started to drive again. When she neared the bottom of the hill she crossed a bridge and continued down another hill.

_Which way to turn? Right._ Sydney's thoughts were racing as she merged into traffic. _What was she doing there? What did he say to her? Why? Why? _The clock on the dashboard said twelve fifteen. She looked to the left. A carnival. She smiled bigger than she had in what felt like a long time. Her stomach rumbled. With one hand she rifled through her purse but there was no money. She kept driving.

She was putting on lip gloss when she noticed a man driving behind her. For some reason it felt wrong. But she kept driving. She kept driving. Then she pulled a sharp right and drove up a block then turned left and kept driving. She looked in the rear view mirror again. The man was still following her. Now she was afraid. She turn a hard left and kept driving until she saw a parking garage and quickly pulled into it. She drove all the way to the top and parked between two cars and waited. No man in a car.

She got out of the car and waited again. She carefully looked around then walked to the elevator. She was about to press the down button but jerked her finger back. _Which way to go? Stairs or elevator? Stairs. _She walked to the stairs and headed down to the sidewalk. She had reached the second floor when she saw the man. For one split second she stared at him. There was no mistake. He was there for her. Sydney ran back up the stairs, all the time knowing he was right behind her. _No. No. No. _She sprinted for the car. Black.


	10. Things have changed

**Almost there guys! Thanks to those who are hanging in! Don't worry!**

The trunk opened and Sydney blinked. The man pulled her out. It was raining and she shivered. Another man led her to a door. When they just stood there she hesitated. They frowned. She gritted her teeth and opened the door. Sark was sitting at the table in one of the chairs. She walked to the other chair and sat down. She looked into his eyes. _Why are they so sad? _

"I love you," he said.

Sydney's mouth opened wide. She struggled for words but none came so she shook her head instead.

"Syd," Sark repeated. "I love you."

She jumped up from the chair _No. Please it can't be true. _She continued to shake her head as tears started to fall. He looked at her with those sad blue eyes. Sydney sank back into the chair. She stared at the floor. It was cold. It was gray. It was hard. She lifted her head to look at him. He was watching her.

She reached out her hand. Sark stared at it. She continued looking at him. Finally he reached out as well and touched her hand. "It's cold." He said.

Sydney remembered she was still wet and shivered. He raised his eyes to look at her again. He took off his jacket and stood to walk around to her chair. He put his jacket over her shoulders. She looked up at him. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Why?" She asked

Sark's mouth twisted but he didn't answer. He walked back to his chair and sat down.

"Things have changed between us." He tried to explain.

_He's lying. _Sydney shook her head again.

"Why can't you remember?" He yelled.

Sydney flinched and looked away.

"Goddammit Sydney! Remember!" Tears fell and she covered her face. "Please." Sark whispered.

She tried to shut him out. He stood up and she looked at him with fear in her eyes. _Don't leave again. _But he walked to the door and left. Sydney broke down and rested her head on the table as she cried. Then the two men entered the room. She jerked her head up at the sound of them and rose nervously. They advanced towards her.

She realized there was no other way out so she picked up her chair and screamed. "Get away! Just leave me alone!"

One man pulled the chair away. The other grabbed her and forced her out of the room. It was raining harder. The drops mingled with the tears that were falling down her cheeks. One man opened the trunk and she struggled against the other man who tightened his hold. He pulled her over to the open trunk and put her inside. The trunk closed. Black.


	11. Fin

Sydney woke up, stretching and yawning. She stood up and looked out the window. Walking into the bathroom, she stepped into the shower and turned on the water. She washed her hair then turned off the water and dried off. She took some clothes out of the dresser and got dressed. Then she walked down stairs and into the kitchen.

She took out the orange juice and set it on the counter. Then she took out a glass, poured some juice and took a drink. Sydney walked to the window and looked out to see the swing set. She smiled. Turning back to look at the microwave clock, she was startled to see the time was already twelve o'clock. She ran back upstairs and back to the bathroom to brush her hair and her teeth.

She started to leave then grabbed her book on the desk. Down the hallway, she picked up her purse and left the house, locking the door behind her. She opened the garage and started up the car. Excitement filled her as she backed out of the driveway and began driving down the street. A man waved at her and she waved back at him with a smile. Sydney drove past all the houses with their flowers and lawn decorations. _The backyard needs some flowers_. The hill stretched out before her and she drove to the bottom of it, crossed a bridge and continued down another hill.

She turned right and merged into traffic. The clock on the dashboard said twelve forty five. She looked to the left. A carnival. Sydney grinned with excitement. She took a right and another right into a parking garage. She parked on the first floor between two cars and got out. The sidewalks were filled with crowds of people as she made her way through. She waited at the light and crossed the street. There were kids playing in the fountains and she smiled.

Sydney pushed past people and moved towards the carnival. She wandered around, looking at different rides and watching people laughing and screaming. She smiled again. Seeing the tall, brightly lit ferris wheel at the far end, she walked towards it. She stood under it and looked up to its very top then she waited on a park bench and opened her book and began to read. After a few hours, she casually looked up and saw him.

"Julian!" She yelled, waving her arm.

He was carrying a ridiculous, small, blue bear. Sydney laughed. He spotted her and smiled. Sark walked towards her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

"I got you something." He said with a boyish grin on his face.

Sydney took the bear and hugged it. "It's cute."

He looked at his watch. "Come on we're gonna be late."

He took her hand and led her through the crowds of happy people. They reached the fountains and Sydney saw the bus and the children coming off it. With them was a boy with blond hair.

"Brandon!" She called.

The boy saw her. "Mom!" He yelled. Brandon ran to her and hugged her.

Sydney smiled. "We have a surprise in the backyard for you."

**A/N: I hope you liked what I thought was a happy ending, yes I'm sorry, not everything is revealed (not even to me, _believe me_). But I'd love any ideas or interpretations. Feel free to IM me at AgentBristow4747. **

**Verite**


End file.
